Dream
by alohamora080
Summary: Scorpius's wedding day begins in nightmares, but ends a dream come true.


30 August 2024

Scorpius Malfoy stood alone at the end of the icy lane. Snow was swirling around him like icy veil, and the brisk wind whipped unkindly at his pale face. Scorpius frowned, glancing thoughtfully at his watch. It was five past ten. She was five minutes late. His frown intensified slightly, and a tinge of worry made its way into his expression. Rose was never late._  
_

As if on cue, there was a soft pop at the end of the lane, and Rose materialized onto the platform, small daubs of snow immediately tainting her bright red hair. She approached him nervously, her usually cheerful demeanor completely marred by the grim look surfacing on her petite face.

Scorpius's eyes widened a fraction. Clearly, something was horribly wrong. "What happened? Why are you late?" he burst out as she stopped before him, shaking her head slowly.

She lifted her head, bright blue eyes focusing intently upon Scorpius's tawny ones. Then, she spoke, her tone aloof, "It's off. The wedding's off."

Scorpius's heart stopped; his breath caught in his throat; and the roaring and whooshing in his ears from the cold wind seemed to accentuate. For a moment, he felt as though someone had reached in and pulled out his insides, leaving behind nothing but a cold emptiness.

"I—what?"

Rose surveyed him unblinkingly, her eyes devoid of all emotion, as they swept over his face.

"Our wedding's off. Daddy says it's not to happen."

A flash of incredulity crossed Scorpius's ashen face. "Rose, the wedding is tomorrow morning! And, Rose—it's your father! He's been against our relationship ever since it started—and you didn't care in the least then, so why now—?"

"Scorpius," Rose interrupted, flinging her hand up impatiently. "I don't want to hear it. Really, I don't. It's over, and that's that."

Panic began to flood Scorpius's brain. This was a lie. This couldn't be happening. "Rose, we've been together two years—"

But Rose was already strolling away, her red hair bouncing brightly behind her…as though mocking him…

"Rose!" He was pleading now, desperation etched all over his face. He flung a hand out towards her. "Rose—Rose, don't go!" He wanted to run towards her, but he suddenly found himself unable to move a single muscle in his body. She had, without a doubt, cast a Full Body-Bind Curse over him. For a moment, his hand remained frozen in midair, reaching out towards the girl he loved so dearly, loved with all his heart—

Then, suddenly, Scorpius was sitting bolt right up in bed, gasping for breath. Several beads of cold sweat sullied his pounding forehead, and it was several moments before Scorpius was able to breathe normally. He blinked rapidly, eyes working furiously to adjust to the darkness. And it wasn't until he was able to make out the sleeping form of his fiancée across the room, and the gentle rise and fall of the white sheets which outlined her slender frame, that he allowed himself to slump back against his pillows and heave a deep sigh of relief. The glint of the diamond on her engagement ring was quite apparent, even in the darkness.

His wedding was still on. And it was still several hours away.

Shaking his head in attempt to clear the distressingly vivid dream from his mind, Scorpius reached up and ran a hand wearily through his head of fleecy blonde hair. He knew it was pointless to try and get back to sleep again, with the horrifyingly real nightmare still plaguing his brain, so he quietly got to his feet, padded stealthily across the room—careful not to wake Rose or Albus—and slipped soundlessly out the door.

The Burrow's winding staircase was eerily hushed. The absence of the various Weasleys and Potters bustling up and down its creaky steps caught Scorpius off-guard, and he gazed suspiciously down the corridors—as though expecting James or Fred to manifest out of thin air and trip him unexpectedly—before he proceeded to tread cautiously down the stairs.

"Scorpius?"

He whirled around, hand shooting for the banister. Managing to steady himself just in time, his head snapped up in alarm, and he came face-to-face with none other than Ronald Weasley.

Scorpius groaned inwardly. How utterly unlucky of him to run into Rose's father, who—without a doubt—hated him with a burning passion, so early in the morning. On the day of his marriage, no less! Although, for once, the expression on Ron's face was not one of loathing, but one of uncertainty, as though he was contemplating what his future son-in-law could possibly be doing, wandering the house aimlessly on the morning of his wedding.

"Oh—er—hello," Scorpius murmured uncomfortably, raising his hand in a feeble greeting. He was suddenly overcome by an urge to rush down the staircase, but he stood his ground, shuffling his feet.

The uncertainty in Ron's expression increased slightly, and his brows arched slightly with suspicion. Scorpius genuinely couldn't blame him.

"What are you doing up so early?" Ron yawned, stretching his long arms, and scratching his stomach.

"Oh—I—nothing—I, er, had a bad dream, that's all…" Scorpius trailed off, staring vacantly towards the stretch of wall behind Ron. Images of his nightmare began to assail his mind yet again, and Scorpius shook his head firmly.

"Ah," Ron nodded, and there was a flicker of understanding in his tone. "Yes, well, since we're both up early—fancy a cup of tea?"

Scorpius's eyebrows traveled so far up his face that Ron seemed quite unable to hide his sheepish grin. "What?" he said defensively. "There's nothing peculiar about a concerned man having a cup of tea with his future son-in-law, a few hours before the wedding."

Scorpius snorted with laughter, and for one distinct second, Ron looked quite pleased with himself. He patted Scorpius's back. "Come on, then, mate. Let's get downstairs before my mum has our heads for ruining her morning…"

A few moments later, Scorpius held a steaming cup of tea between his palms. Its strong, distracting aroma warded and scattered away some of Scorpius's nervousness. But only slightly.

Ron sat down opposite him, taking a long swig from his own mug, before inquiring curiously, "So, what was the nightmare about?"

Startled by the directness of the question, Scorpius stammered slightly, "Oh—well—er, the wedding—I mean, my wedding, to Rose, that is—well, it—it got—" he took a deep breath. "—canceled."

"Oh?" Ron looked rather taken aback. He set his mug softly down onto the table. "Not getting cold feet now, are we?"

Scorpius shook his head fervently, feeling horrified. "No, not at all! I—see, I wasn't the one who called it off."

"Who called it off?"

Scorpius stared awkwardly down at his tea, before whispering, "You did."

A tense silence followed his words. And, all at once, every single noise in the entire house seemed to become ten times louder. The soft ticking of the clock on the mantel piece and the soft breeze of the early morning outside rung painfully in Scorpius's ears. Nevertheless, mustering up every last bit of Gryffindor courage he possessed, Scorpius glanced up at Ron's face, and was shocked to find that the older man's ears had grown red with…_shame_?

"Well, it does sound like something I would do, doesn't it?" Ron said apologetically, looking distinctly stunned by Scorpius's revelation. "Listen, Scorpius, I know I was a right arse to you when Rose told me about your relationship…but I would do anything in the world to make my daughter happy, even if it meant jumping off a cliff. And, somehow, letting her marry you seems a lot less painful in comparison to that."

Scorpius grinned.

"I give you my full permission to marry her, all right? I hope you know that."

Scorpius nodded fervidly. "I do, sir."

"It's Ron, please. 'Sir' makes me feel like I'm Headmaster or something."

Scorpius laughed.

* * *

Albus tugged irritably at the collar of his dress robes, as he sauntered up the aisle in front of Scorpius.

"Merlin, I _hate_ these things," Albus complained, yanking suddenly at the collar with such ferocity that, with a earsplitting _ripping_ noise, one half of the collar severed itself from the rest of Albus's dress robes, and fell wholly away into Albus's firm grip.

Scorpius rolled his eyes with exasperation, as Albus stared uncomprehendingly at the piece of fabric in his hands. "Oh, Merlin's beard—_here_," Scorpius offered, half-irritated, half-amused, as he pointed his wand at Albus's robes. "_Reparo_." And the fragment of cloth resealed itself to Albus's robes.

Albus sighed gustily. "Why did you choose to get married in the summer? Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is to wear these things in this bloody heat?"

"It wasn't my idea to get married in June," Scorpius reminded his friend pointedly. "It was Rose's."

"And of course you went along with it." Albus let out a bark of unruly laughter. "You're a slave to her desires, I'm telling you."

Scorpius frowned. Was he really such a slave to her desires? An image of Rose walking coolly away from his pleading form on an icy lane flashed suddenly in front of his eyes, and Scorpius couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort.

Perhaps Albus was right_._

"Oy," Albus's hand came firmly into contact with Scorpius's skull, and Scorpius let out a bellow of pain as his eyes began to water from the soreness of the blow. "Wake up, mate." Albus grinned. "Your wedding's about to start."

Scorpius gulped, paling as he turned to face his audience of expectant well-wishers. Yet, despite his sudden anxiety, he couldn't help but half-smile as James and Fred hurried up the aisle towards him and Albus, pockets bulging tremendously with what Scorpius could only assume to be fireworks. Both clapped Scorpius's shoulder fondly as they took their places beside Albus, flicking their wand towards the ceiling of the canopy. Music began to swell from the golden baldachin, and a hushed silence fell over the watching crowd. They swiveled around in their seats, gazing towards the marquee entrance eagerly.

Scorpius's lip quivered slightly as he glanced from the face of one audience member to the next. There was his mother, eyes already watery. And his father, perched rather uncomfortably at the edge of his seat, clearly uneasy to be seated in the front yard of his old enemy's childhood home.

And there were Rose's parents…grandparents…multitudinous other relatives, beaming widely as they adoringly scrutinized the marquee entrance, towards…_Rose_.

Scorpius's heart flipped animatedly in his chest, as Rose Weasley drifted serenely down the aisle behind her bridesmaids, arm tucked tightly under her father's. And in Scorpius's eyes, one could not find a more perfect picture anywhere in the entire universe. Her flawlessly curled red hair was bouncing sweetly at her shoulders. Her startlingly blue eyes were wide with happiness. And Scorpius realized, she was _his_.

Suddenly, being a slave to her desires didn't seem like such a crime.

Scorpius felt his mouth go dry and his knees wobble dangerously. He heard Albus sniggering softly behind him, and didn't hesitate to stamp on the latter's foot with as much force as he could convoke. Not even the soft squeal of pain which stemmed from Albus's mouth could distract him from Rose, her beauty, and the amount of unconditional love that he had for her. His nightmare seemed so far away, a trivial figment of his imagination, as she approached him, gliding nearer and nearer…

Just before the altar, Ron and Rose stopped. Ron smiled warmly, kissing his daughter's forehead. He gently nudged her towards where Scorpius stood, one arm stretched out in her direction. And Rose took his hands in hers, glancing up at him with uncharacteristic shyness, and Scorpius felt a rush of inexplicable affection towards her.

"Take good care of her," Ron murmured gruffly in his ear, and Scorpius nodded earnestly.

Charlie Weasley, who was serving as the wedding priest for the night's occasion, grinned at his niece before glancing down at the thick book in his hands.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony," he spoke in his pleasant, low voice. "Rose and Scorpius have bore many trials, many pleasures, and the finest of experiences together, and they have decided that this is exactly what they would like to do for the rest of their lives.

"As we Weasleys absolutely love to stray from tradition, rather than simply reciting the given vows, Scorpius and Rose have prepared their own wedding vows to say to each other." Charlie turned to Scorpius. "Scorpius, would you please begin?"

Scorpius nodded slowly and turned to Rose, squeezing her hands tightly before speaking, "Rose. Merely saying your name makes me happy," he paused fleetingly, eyes sweeping over Rose's face. "I love you with all my heart. I look at you every morning and wonder…" he paused. "How did _I_ get so lucky? You taught me the meaning of love, Rose, and there is nothing I would rather do for the rest of my life than continue to make you happy."

Rose stared at him, chin trembling slightly. Then— "He took the words right out of my mouth!" she called loudly, and there was a collective round of laughter from the watching audience. "Scorpius, although it may have taken me longer to realize my feelings then it took for you, I do love you. And mere words cannot express to everyone just to what extent I do.

"You complete me, Scorpius. You are my dearest friend. You are the soothing ice to my raging fire—the reassuring hand on my shoulder whenever I go absolutely mental." There was an exchange of affectionately intuitive glances amongst Rose's cousins. "But, moreover, you are the only person that I would even consider spending the rest of my life with. I would do anything for you. I hope you know that. _Anything_."

Scorpius gazed at Rose, his eyes widening ever-so-slightly. There was something significant—almost desperate—about the way she spoke. Something which told Scorpius, quite clearly, that she knew of the terrible nightmare that had slapped Scorpius in the face, when he'd woken up this morning. Scorpius glanced out towards the audience, seeking out Rose's father, who gave him a meaningful nod.

Meanwhile, Charlie was continuing, "Do you, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, take Rose Monica Weasley to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until death do you part?"

"I do," Scorpius breathed.

"And do you, Rose Monica Weasley, take Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until death do you part?"

"I do," Rose nodded vigorously, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I _do_."

Scorpius felt a large lump forming in his throat. Slowly, he slipped a ring around Rose's petite finger.

Charlie boomed in conclusion, "Then, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Scorpius, you may now kiss your lovely bride!"

And Scorpius kissed Rose under a cloudburst of golden sparks.

* * *

Well, hello there, my lovely readers! Yes, I'm back with yet another one-shot. :) This is an entry for WeasleySeeker's "Wedding" Competition. My pairing is (obviously) Rose/Scorpius.

Also...it is with immense pride that I announce...THIS WAS MY TWENTIETH STORY ON THIS WEBSITE! Hehehe I know it isn't much (at all), but I'm pretty proud of myself. I never thought I'd get this far, and I definitely couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this!

Yours sincerely,  
Alohamora


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